No More Walks in the Woods
by IronAmerica
Summary: No matter how bad it is, it can always get worse. (Part two of Fade Away.)


So, it's a new story in_ Fade Away_. It is not happy.

Un-beta'ed.

Trigger warnings: Child abuse, public whipping, abuse, racism, slavery, mutilation

\- o - o -

No More Walks in the Woods

The fuzzy-faced _shaskolr_ is Master Reban.

Yondu's throat hurts as he learns Master Reban's language. He wants to resort to distress chirps daily during lessons that hurt so much, but Master Reban's servant – the korshi fruit-colored woman, who's actually a man and something called a Krylorian – keeps hitting him upside the head or hitting his hands with a long, flat stick when he tries to speak Home Tongue. Master Reban and the Krylorian _shaskolr_ call him a Centaurian and tell him that he's a savage and he needs their help so he's not a primitive little beast and can contribute to galactic society.

Eventually, Master Reban gets tired of trying to beat lessons into Yondu (or figures out that it doesn't work like that), and gives his Krylorian new orders. Yondu learns, that day, that his master has dozens of Yondu's people held prisoner in his home. It's been a week since Master Reban touched him like Aba's cousin had tried, and he's still afraid of going to new rooms. Excpet this one is filled with people.

These people are from the far northern continent, and they're _monsters_ who eat younglings and…

Yondu feels a shriek building up in his throat, and it almost tears its way out when one of the northern monsters pulls him into a tight hug as soon as the door closes. The shriek dies as soon as the monster presses its mouth to his ear and begins whistling softly enough that the star-walkers' magic boxes can't hear. Yondu snuffles and makes a soft chirp of distress, rubbing at his nose. When the Northerner squeezes him gently again, whistling and clicking a question in Home Tongue, Yondu replies in familiar clicks and chirps, throat loosening up for the first time in _ages_.

The northerner holding him pulls back and taps his chest. "Kosul da'rem Grokuto." Kosul looks around fearfully, and then begins pointing at the other homeworlders. Some of them are his family – one of them is his mate, which means the stories about northerners sleeping with people of their gender like Papas and Abas are supposed to do are true, but Yondu doesn't care about that because Aba's nice cousins were the same and always brought him toys from the Ukola caverns when they visited during the holy days – and others are from other clans. Yondu snuggles close to Kosul as his eyes being to droop and tucks his hand close to Kosul's pouch for comfort.

The bright lights that flood the room what seems like seconds later makes everyone shriek, including Kosul. Yondu screeches in fear and buries his face in Kosul's shoulder as star-walkers storm into the room and begin dragging everyone out by their crests. (And that just proves that every single one of the star-walkers is a pervert, because only mates and your close-clan get to touch your crest.)

Kosul holds Yondu close to his chest, whispering instructions on what to do when they enter the courtyard. Someone will be whipped, and then one of the _shaskolr_ will drag someone else out and cut their crest off with a razor. It is _very_ important to watch and not make a noise or try to help anyone who's being hurt, because then _everyone_ will be punished and more people will lose their crests.

Kosul's mate is tied to a post and whipped until he passes out. Yondu whimpers and clutches Kosul's hand so tightly his fingers ache. The healed cuts on his back twinge in sympathy as the whip cracks across Okul's back. Then the star-walkers start going through the trembling group of Centaurians, looking for someone to mutilate. Kosul grips Yondu's hand tightly and turns a little so no one can see Yondu. (Yondu can't help but notice that the others are doing the same for the other younglings in the group.)

Yondu huddles miserably against Kosul's side as a youngling – Yondu thinks he might be just out of his papa's pouch because he's so _tiny_ – is separated from the group. Everyone shrieks and tries to drag the boy back and one man even offers himself in the boy's place, but the star-walkers start hitting people with their storm sticks and force everyone except the man back into the pen. The man is strapped down next to the pouchling and a massive star-walker wearing a heavy leather apron brings out a box of razors.

Kosul's face goes slack as the youngling who's strapped to a table starts sobbing when the _shaskolr_ opens the box of razors and pulls out a long one. Yondu whimpers into Kosul's kilt as he sees the star-walker test the blade on the older man's face. Then Kosul's hands start twitching like Papa's did when Joril, one of Aba's close-clan, got sick and needed to be calmed down. Yondu presses his face into Kosul's side and hums Papa's hunting song, because he knows that Kosul is doing an adult thing and making his crest hum to take away the youngling's pain and… He hums louder, more to keep out the sounds of two of his people screaming in agony as their crests are cut off.

The Krylorian drags him out of the holding room an hour after the Centaurians – including Okul, the male (his name is Darqis, and he's a Kwi-lu), and the youngling (Darwol, Darqis' pouchling) – are tossed back in. Yondu trembles at the sick smile on the Krylorian's face as he's dragged back to Master Reban's wing of the house.

"That's what happens when you disgusting little savages disobey Master Reban," the Krylorian informs him with a smile. Yondu hides under the cot in his tiny room as soon as the door is locked shut and sings Aba's Ukola lullaby in a hitching voice.

He falls asleep under the cot, hands pressed over his ears.

\- o - o -

So, what did you think? Good? Bad? Think Yondu is in dire need of a hug and a rescue? Drop a line and let me know.


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